10 Days of Encountering Jesus EverywhereUkážka

Day 3: Distractions

I recently took my daughter to see Aladdin, her first “big girl movie.” In one scene Aladdin, a thief, is told to walk through a cave holding mounds of treasure without touching anything so he can locate a small, dusty oil lamp. Aladdin ignores the temptations around him to focus only on his assigned task. Unfortunately, Aladdin’s monkey, Abu, doesn’t resist temptation and touches one of the cave’s massive jewels. That disobedience unleashes a judgment of death upon both Abu and Aladdin as everything in the cave begins to melt into lava. When Aladdin and Abu escape, they are stunned to discover that this simple lamp unleashes the greatest treasure imaginable: an all-powerful genie. Distracted by the treasure before him, Abu nearly missed this. His inability to harness self-control and look ahead to the goal of the lamp nearly disqualified him from attaining the cave’s most valuable treasure.

The cave we’ve been called to walk through is life on earth. We have an ultimate goal of seeing God and experiencing a perfect heaven and new earth as our prize, but the enemy has set traps baited with shiny treasures to lure us off the narrow road. Vanity, pride, gluttony, and other forms of self-gratification are just a few of the false jewels the enemy tempts us with to distract us from the true treasure of Christ.

Satan lies in wait for us to be captivated by what feels good despite what we know to be true. When we choose the easy way, we miss out on the experience of God’s abundance on earth, as well as the heavenly rewards God has in store for those who honor Him (Matthew 16:27). God designed our souls to be drawn toward Him—the ultimate treasure. Do not be so easily tempted by the lure of worldly gain that does not last. The one true treasure who leads to more life is beyond worthy of our focus and attention. Do not be distracted by the things of this world as we race toward the goal of experiencing fullness in Christ, now and forever.

Reflect

What shiny, yet short-lived treasures, have tempted you to take your eyes off Christ? What root desire in your heart causes you to pursue these fleeting rewards? How does Christ perfectly fulfill that root desire? Find and memorize a verse that can remind you of your true treasure in Christ amid the moments when you’re tempted to divert your attention elsewhere.

Pray With Me

Father, I want to be focused on You, but this world comes with a wealth of distractions. So many of these distractions can seem like treasure, but I know they are not. I ask that You protect Your presence in my heart whenever my flesh is distracted. Help me keep my eyes set firmly on You.